"Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s administration announced on Wednesday that it would ban hydraulic fracturing in New York State because of concerns over health risks, ending years of debate over a method of extracting natural gas."

Metcalf Institute is partnering with the National Adaptation Forum and EcoAdapt to present a free, day and a half-long seminar (May 12-13, 2015) and optional field trip as part of the National Adaptation Forum, May 12-14, in St. Louis, Missouri. The Forum will provide a rare opportunity for journalists to meet adaptation experts from across the nation representing local, state, regional, tribal and federal interests and will focus on climate change impacts and adaptation efforts ranging from the transportation, insurance and disaster risk management sectors to architecture, agriculture, and environmental justice. Apply by Feb 9th.

Metcalf Institute for Marine & Environmental Reporting invites early- to mid-career journalists to apply for one of ten fellowships to attend its 17th Annual Science Immersion Workshop for Journalists: Global Change in Coastal Ecosystems, June 7-12, 2015, at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography. Apply by Feb 6th.

"BUFFALO -- The area around Buffalo, New York braced on Sunday for potential flooding as warming temperatures began to melt up to seven feet (2 meters) of snow that fell in a record snow storm last week in which 13 people died."

"Western New York state braced for a fresh wave of heavy snow on Wednesday after a freakish storm swept off the Great Lakes and deposited 5 feet (1.5 meters) of powder in parts of the region, killing at least six people and stranding motorists overnight."

"In an effort to halt dramatic declines in the cod population, federal officials overseeing the fishing industry on Monday announced unprecedented measures that effectively ban all commercial fishing of the region’s iconic species in the Gulf of Maine."

"Federal regulators shut down the commercial fishing season for northern shrimp in the Gulf of Maine for a second straight year on Wednesday, citing concerns about the declining population and warmer ocean temperatures."